| Chinese Text Project | |
| Simplified Chinese version |
| “故曰， | 'Hence we have the saying: |
| 为高必因丘陵， | "To raise a thing high, we must begin from the top of a mound or a hill; |
| 为下必因川泽。 | to dig to a great depth, we must commence in the low ground of a stream or a marsh." |
| 为政不因先王之道，可谓智乎？ | Can he be pronounced wise, who, in the exercise of government, does not proceed according to the ways of the former kings? |
| 是以惟仁者宜在高位。 | Therefore only the benevolent ought to be in high stations. |
| 不仁而在高位， | When a man destitute of benevolence is in a high station, |
| 是播其恶于众也。 | he thereby disseminates his wickedness among all below him. |
| 上无道揆也。 | When the prince has no principles by which he examines his administration, |
| 下无法守也， | and his ministers have no laws by which they keep themselves in the discharge of their duties, |
| 朝不信道， | then in the court obedience is not paid to principle, |
| 工不信度， | and in the office obedience is not paid to rule. |
| 君子犯义， | Superiors violate the laws of righteousness, |
| 小人犯刑， | and inferiors violate the penal laws. |
| 国之所存者幸也。 | It is only by a fortunate chance that a State in such a case is preserved. |
| Character | Composition | Variants | Reading | Meaning | Hanyu | Kangxi | Cihai |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 故 | 攴+5 | gù ㄍㄨˋ | (8) 连词：所以，因此。 Hence, thus. | v2,p1453#05 | p.469#25 | p.601r5c01 | |
| 曰 | 曰+0 | yuē ㄩㄝ | (1) 说。 Say, speak. | v2,p1482#02 | p.502#01 | p.648r3c03 | |
| 为 | 火+5 | 爲 为 | wéi ㄨㄟˊ | Create, make. / Build, construct. / Do. / Plant, grow. / Govern. / Research, study. / Serve as. / Change into, become. / As, in the role of. / Count as, be considered as. / Called, named. / Expresses judgement: is. / Make, cause (to). / Have. / Take part in. / Write, author. / Connective: if. / Particle used in the middle of a sentence to move forward the object. / Modal particle used at the end of a sentence to express a rhetorical question. | v3,p2198#11 | p.669#10 | p.844r4c03 |
| wèi ㄨㄟˋ | Help, assist. / Preposition: for, on behalf of. / Preposition: by (passive). / Preposition: because of, due to. / Preposition: with, together with. / Connective: because. / Say. / False, fake. | ||||||
| 高 | 高+0 | 髙 | gāo gào ㄍㄠ ㄍㄠˋ | high, tall; lofty, elevated | v7,p4593#01 | p.1451#26 | p.1514r4c03 |
| 必 | 心+1 | bì ㄅㄧˋ | surely, most certainly; must | v4,p2267#02 | p.375#02 | p.522r5c01 | |
| 因 | 囗+3 | 囙 𤇀 | yīn ㄧㄣ | cause, reason; by; because (of) | v1,p0711#09 | p.217#02 | |
| 丘 | 一+4 | 丠 㐀 丘 㘳 | qiū ㄑㄧㄡ | hill; elder; empty; a name | v1,p0017#01 | p.77#14 | p.36r4c01 |
| 陵 | 阜+8 | 陵 夌 𨻪 䧙 | líng ㄌㄧㄥˊ | hill, mound; mausoleum | v6,p4134#06 | p.1354#06 | p.1426r3c01 |
| 下 | 一+2 | 丅 厥 𠄟 | xià ㄒㄧㄚˋ | under, underneath, below; down; inferior; bring down | v1,p0007#01 | p.76#10 | p.28r1c01 |
| 川 | 巛+0 | 巛 | chuān ㄔㄨㄢ | stream, river; flow; boil | v1,p0032#02 | p.323#23 | p.462r2c02 |
| 泽 | 水+13 | 沢 㚖 泽 | zé duó shì yì ㄗㄜˊ ㄉㄨㄛˊ ㄕˋ ㄧˋ | marsh, swamp; grace, brilliance; damp, moist; fertile | v3,p1757#01 | p.652#44 | p.834r1c02 |
| 政 | 攴+4 | zhèng zhēng ㄓㄥˋ ㄓㄥ | government, political affairs | v2,p1453#03 | p.469#06 | p.601r2c01 | |
| 不 | 一+3 | 不 𠀚 𠙐 | bù ㄅㄨˋ | Not have. / To not be. / Negational adverb, used before verbs, adjectives, etc. to indicate negation. / Negational adverb expressing prohibition: do not. / Negational adverb expressing rhetorical question: is not...? | v1,p0011#06 | p.76#15 | p.30r1c01 |
| fǒu ㄈㄡˇ | Same as “否(1.2)” fǒu ㄈㄡˇ: Adverb used together with an affirmative word, expressing its negative or opposite. / Same as “否(1.3)” fǒu ㄈㄡˇ: Adverb used at the end of a question to form a yes-no question. | ||||||
| fū ㄈㄨ | Sepal of a flower. | ||||||
| pī ㄆㄧ | Same as “丕(1)” pī ㄆㄧ: Large. | ||||||
| bǐ ㄅㄧˇ | Show disdain for. | ||||||
| 先 | 儿+4 | xiān ㄒㄧㄢ | first, former, previous | v1,p0267#02 | p.124#05 | p.134r3c02 | |
| 王 | 玉+0 | wáng ㄨㄤˊ | (1.1) 夏商周三代的最高统治者。 King, title of supreme ruler of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties. | v2,p1099#10 | p.727#02 | p.888r1c02 | |
| 之 | 丿+3 | 㞢 | zhī ㄓ | Towards; go to. / Demonstrative pronoun: this, these. / Third person pronoun: him, her, it. / Auxiliary word: of. / Auxiliary word: used between subject and predicate, cancels independence of a clause. / Auxiliary word: used in a sentence for aesthetic purpose only, no meaning. | v1,p0043#01 | p.82#04 | p.47r2c02 |
| 道 | 辵+9 | 𨕥 衟 𡬹 | dào ㄉㄠˋ | Road, path. / Journey. / Method. / Law, reason. / Doctrine, claim. / Skill, technique. / Principle, right way. / The Dao, the origin of all things in Daoism. / Speak, talk. / Take a course of action. / Take a course of action. / Rites paid to the spirit of roads. / Ancient administrative unit. / Daoism. | v6,p3864#01 | p.1262#06 | p.1326r3c02 |
| dǎo ㄉㄠˇ | Lead. / Flow smoothly. | ||||||
| 可 | 口+2 | 歌 厥 | kě kè ㄎㄜˇ ㄎㄜˋ | may, can, -able; possibly | v1,p0567#07 | p.172#12 | p.244r1c02 |
| 谓 | 言+9 | 谓 | wèi ㄨㄟˋ | To (when speaking to someone). / Say, speak. / Call, name. / Meaning, what is meant. / Discuss, comment on (a person). / How? / Same as “为(21.3)” wèi ㄨㄟˋ: Preposition: because of, due to. | v6,p3997#06 | p.1173#12 | p.1251r6c01 |
| wéi ㄨㄟˊ | Same as “为(10)” wéi ㄨㄟˊ: Count as, be considered as. | ||||||
| 智 | 日+8 | 𥏼 | zhì zhī ㄓˋ ㄓ | wisdom, knowledge, intelligence | v2,p1518#15 | p.497#15 | p.644r3c02 |
| 乎 | 丿+4 | 宓 | hū ㄏㄨ | (1.1) 语气词：表示疑问或反问，相当于“吗”或“呢”。 Modal particle expressing questioning or a rhetorical question. | v1,p0036#08 | p.82#07 | p.47r3c03 |
| 是 | 日+5 | 昰 𣆞 | shì ㄕˋ | Straight. / Right, correct. / Believe accurate, affirm. / Demonstrative pronoun: this. / Be (copula). / Auxiliary word, used after moving forward the object. | v2,p1497#05 | p.493#26 | p.639r1c01 |
| 以 | 人+3 | 㠯 | yǐ ㄧˇ | Use. / Believe. / Command. / Lead. / Connect, implicate. / Have. / Cause, reason. / Preposition: because. / Preposition: from, in. / Preposition: at [some time]. / Preposition: using. / Preposition: in accordance with. / Preposition: relying upon. / Preposition: in the capacity of. / Preposition: with, together with. / Connective: indicates the following action is the objective of the preceding one. / Connective: used between adverbial clause and verb to express modification. / Connective: and. / Connective: but. / Connective: and so, thus. / Particle: used together with some words expressing direction and time. / Modal particle. / Same as “已(1)” yǐ ㄧˇ: Stop, discontinue. / Same as “已(7.2)” yǐ ㄧˇ: Adverb: already. / Same as “已(7.3)” yǐ ㄧˇ: Adverb: extremely. | v1,p0105#07 | p.94#01 | p.87r6c01 |
| 惟 | 心+8 | 𢛧 | wéi ㄨㄟˊ | but, however, nevertheless; only | v4,p2316#03 | p.391#17 | p.534r6c02 |
| 仁 | 人+2 | 忈 忎 𡰥 | rén ㄖㄣˊ | humaneness, benevolence, kindness | v1,p0107#01 | p.91#07 | |
| 者 | 老+4 | zhě ㄓㄜˇ | Pronoun used after verbs, adjectives, etc. in place of a person or thing. / Pronoun used after numbers in place of a thing. / Pronoun used after time or negation to express "when" or "if". / Expressive particle used in a declarative sentence after the subject. / Expressive particle used in a sentence after the subject to express cause or explanation. | v4,p2780#05 | p.961#01 | p.1080r1c01 | |
| zhuó ㄓㄨㄛˊ | In, located in. | ||||||
| 宜 | 宀+5 | 冝 𡪀 𡨆 𠣨 宐 | yí ㄧˊ | suitable, right, fitting, proper | v2,p0920#06 | p.284#03 | p.416r1c01 |
| 在 | 土+3 | zài ㄗㄞˋ | Exist, be alive. / Be in a certain place. / Inquire after, pay one's respects to. / Preposition: due to, being that. / Preposition: specifies location or time of an action - in, at. | v1,p0418#07 | p.223#10 | p.312r2c07 | |
| 位 | 人+5 | wèi ㄨㄟˋ | throne; position, post; rank, status; seat | v1,p0138#03 | p.98#07 | p.96r1c04 | |
| 而 | 而+0 | ér ㄦˊ | Whiskers. / Like, similar to. / Pronoun: you. / Pronoun: this, like this. / Connective: and, with. / Connective: and, then. / Connective: if, supposing. / Connective: yet, however. / Connective: therefore, hence. / Connective: expresses method or state. / Particle: of. / Expressive particle. | v4,p2810#01 | p.961#18 | p.1080r2c03 | |
| néng ㄋㄥˊ | Same as “能(3)” néng ㄋㄥˊ: Able to, competent. / Same as “能(2.1)” néng ㄋㄥˊ: Ability, talent. | ||||||
| 播 | 手+12 | 𢿥 𨤏 | bō bò bǒ ㄅㄛ ㄅㄛˋ ㄅㄛˇ | sow, spread; broadcast; case away, reject | v3,p1960#12 | p.456#15 | p.593r1c02 |
| 其 | 八+6 | 丌 亓 | qí ㄑㄧˊ | Third-person possessive pronoun: his, her, its, their. / Demonstrative pronoun: that, those. / Adverb expressing estimation or guess. / Adverb expressing imperative. / Adverb expressing rhetorical question. / Adverb expressing future tense. / Connective expressing hypothesis: if, supposing. / Connective expressing choice: or. / Connective expressing concession: even if. / Particle used after an adjective. / Particle: of. / Particle used for emphasis after single-character adjectives or onomatopoeia. / Particle used in the middle of a sentence to alter the tempo. | v1,p0245#01 | p.127#18 | p.162r5c01 |
| jì ㄐㄧˋ | Particle used after bi and he. | ||||||
| jī ㄐㄧ | Modal particle expressing interrogative tone. / A year. | ||||||
| 恶 | 心+8 | 惡 亚 僫 恶 | è ㄜˋ | Evil. / Bad, not good. / Bad person. / Harm. / Vicious. / Turgid, fierce. / Ugly. / A poor harvest. / Disease, illness. / Uncomfortable, unhappy. / Dirt. / Excrement. | v4,p2307#12 | p.391#25 | p.535r4c01 |
| wù ㄨˋ | Hate. / Shame. / Avoid. / Slander, attack. | ||||||
| wū ㄨ | Interrogative pronoun: how, what. / Exclamation. | ||||||
| 于 | 方+4 | 乌 𣱏 𤕘 于 亏 扵 | yú ㄩˊ | Be (copula). / Be, exist. / Preposition: in. / Preposition: from or to. / Preposition: compared to. / Preposition: to, for, towards. / Preposition: by (indicating passive tense). / Preposition: with, using. / Preposition: due to, because of. / Preposition: by, according to. / Connective: just as. / Auxiliary word, no meaning. | v3,p2175#02 | p.481#11 | p.622r2c03 |
| 众 | 目+6 | 衆 𠂝 𥅫 𠱧 众 | zhòng ㄓㄨㄥˋ | masses, people, multitude, crowd | v4,p2917#04 | p.807#15 | p.951r1c02 |
| 也 | 乙+2 | 𠃟 匜 | yě ㄧㄝˇ | Modal particle used at the end of a sentence, expressing assertion and affirmation. / Modal particle used at the end of a question for emphasis. / Modal particle used at the end of a cause-effect sentence to express explanation. / Modal particle used in the middle of a sentence to express a pause. | v1,p0050#05 | p.84#04 | p.55r1c01 |
| 上 | 一+2 | 丄 𠄞 | shàng ㄕㄤˋ | top; superior, highest; go up, send up | v1,p0005#04 | p.76#07 | p.24r2c01 |
| 无 | 火+8 | 𣟒 𣚨 𠘩 无 无 | wú ㄨˊ | Not have. / Philosophical category referring to absence, non-existence, or vacuity. / Adverb expressing negation: not. / Adverb expressing questioning: or not. / Connective: regardless of. / Connective: even if. / Particle used at the beginning of a sentence, no meaning. / Do not. / Barren, uncultivated. | v3,p2211#15 | p.673#26 | p.848r2c04 |
| 揆 | 手+9 | kuí ㄎㄨㄟˊ | prime minister; to guess, estimate | v3,p1926#08 | p.441#04 | p.583r6c01 | |
| 法 | 水+5 | 佱 灋 𣳴 | fǎ ㄈㄚˇ | Law, penal code. / Principle, system. / Standard. / Method, way of doing. / Follow, imitate. / Adhere to the rules. / The Legalist school. | v3,p1579#04 | p.616#11 | p.778r4c01 |
| 守 | 宀+3 | 𡬮 𡬴 | shǒu shòu ㄕㄡˇ ㄕㄡˋ | defend, protect, guard, conserve | v2,p0912#03 | p.282#05 | p.405r4c01 |
| 朝 | 月+8 | 晁 | zhāo ㄓㄠ | Morning. / Beginning. | v3,p2084#08 | p.506#03 | p.661r1c01 |
| cháo ㄔㄠˊ | Meet in court. / Call the ministers to court. / Court, place where ministers meet with the ruler. / Visit, go to see. / Meet together, gather. | ||||||
| 信 | 人+7 | 伩 㐰 䚱 | xìn ㄒㄧㄣˋ | True, words fitting the truth. / As expected. / Really, actually. / Trust, trustworthy. / Reliable, orderly. / Believe, have confidence in. / Clarify, determine. / Clear, clear-cut. / Certificate, (object of) proof. / Sealed letter, written proof. / Envoy, messenger. / Freely, as one wishes. / Stay for two nights in succession. | v1,p0165#01 | p.105#25 | p.109r2c01 |
| shēn ㄕㄣ | Straight, linear. / Uphold, promote. | ||||||
| 工 | 工+0 | 𢀚 㣉 𠜝 | gōng ㄍㄨㄥ | labor, work; worker, laborer | v1,p0410#06 | p.325#01 | p.463r2c02 |
| 度 | 广+6 | 廓 𡧪 㡯 | dù ㄉㄨˋ | Standard or tool for measuring length. / Standardized unit of length. / Standard, limitation. / System, method. / Nature, capacity. / Openness, broadmindedness. / Cross over, pass through. / Measure word for times or occurrences. | v2,p0880#06 | p.345#26 | p.488r1c08 |
| duó ㄉㄨㄛˊ | To measure. / To guess, estimate. | ||||||
| 君子 | 口+4 子+0 | 𠱩 𠱭 㜽 𢀈 𢀉 𡐫 𣕓 只 | jūnzǐ ㄐㄩㄣㄗˇ | (2) 有道德的人。 A moral man. | v1,p0595#06 v2,p1006#06 | p.177#07 p.277#01 | p.256r6c08 p.395r1c01 |
| 犯 | 犬+2 | 𤝑 𢒿 | fàn ㄈㄢˋ | commit crime, violate; criminal | v2,p1331#08 | p.706#02 | p.873r3c02 |
| 义 | 羊+7 | 义 | yì ㄧˋ | right conduct, righteousness | v5,p3133#02 | p.952#32 | p.1071r3c01 |
| 小 | 小+0 | xiǎo ㄒㄧㄠˇ | Small. / Make small. / View as small. / Thin. / Insufficient. / Short (time), fleeting. / Young. / Slightly, somewhat. / Low level. / A person of low rank. / A person of bad moral character. / Humble term for oneself. | v1,p0560#12 | p.296#18 | p.438r2c01 | |
| 人 | 人+0 | 𠔽 亻 | rén ㄖㄣˊ | Man, person. / Others, other people. / The people, ordinary men. / Talent, material. / [A man's] character. / Affairs of men, world of man. / Benevolence. | v1,p0101#10 | p.91#01 | p.80r2c01 |
| 刑 | 刀+4 | xíng ㄒㄧㄥˊ | Punish. / Kill, put to death. / Harm, disaster. / Law, rules of punishment. / Rule by law. / A die used in casting. / A model, an example. / To emulate, imitate. / Achieve, establish. / Same as “鉶” xíng ㄒㄧㄥˊ: Porcelain soup bowl. / Same as “形(1.1)” xíng ㄒㄧㄥˊ: Body, thing with form. / Same as “形(5)” xíng ㄒㄧㄥˊ: Exhibit, show. | v1,p0324#15 | p.137#11 | p.178r4c02 | |
| 国 | 囗+8 | 圀 国 囗 囶 𢧌 䆐 囯 国 | guó ㄍㄨㄛˊ | nation, country, nation-state | v1,p0720#09 | p.219#16 | p.303r4c02 |
| 所 | 户+4 | 𢨷 | suǒ ㄙㄨㄛˇ | Place. / Location. / A suitable place or location. / Measure word, used for counting buldings. / Used before a verb, creates a noun-like phrase. / If. Mainly used in oaths and curses. / Used together with 为 to indicate the passive tense. / Indicates an approximate number. / Number, number of times. / Meaning. | v3,p2259#01 | p.415#16 | p.556r1c01 |
| 存 | 子+3 | 𠩯 | cún ㄘㄨㄣˊ | exist, live, be; survive; remain | v2,p1009#07 | p.278#02 | p.398r3c01 |
| 幸 | 干+5 | 幸 㚔 𠂷 囟 | xìng ㄒㄧㄥˋ | luck(ily), favor, fortunately | v1,p0434#08 | p.341#01 | p.484r5c01 |
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